A very nice weekend

It was a very nice and relaxing weekend. My wife was very surprised and suitably impressed with the bed and breakfast. After we dropped off the kids we stopped at a winery in New Buffalo. Cranberry wine? It will be perfect for Thanksgiving...if it lasts long enough! We checked in on Friday and then we hunted down an Italian restaurant and enjoyed some of the best calamari we've had in a long time. The roasted pepper soup was outstanding as well. Saturday found us lazily wandering south to Valparaiso and some antique shopping. My wife found a dress in a boutique for her brother's October wedding and we stumbled on a Spanish bistro and enjoyed a large plate of tapas for lunch along with a bowl of pinto bean soup. After visiting another winery and discovering a Rhubarb wine we both enjoyed we head back to the inn for a nap before dinner. We decided upon Thai food and Cold Stone Creamery for dessert. We stopped in Michigan City so my wife could buy some shoes to go with her new dress as we headed north to rescue my parents from their grand kids.

Running....

Saturday morning before a breakfast of praline/pecan french toast with sauteed peaches I ran four one mile laps around lake Palomara. Three quarters of the run was along a shaded path along the western and southern shore of the lake. Deer and raccoon tracks were everywhere. Gold finches and a female cardinal tracked my progress. Though not one of the fastest, it was one of the most enjoyable runs I've ever had.

This morning found me running my home three mile route again. It was a dry and cool 65 degrees when I hit the road. Nice. I picked up the pace a bit today...just because I felt like it. I think I may never do anything other than a novice training plan. I really like "just running" and not having to shoot for any pace if I don't want to.

Anyway.

After all of that it's very good to be back even though the beginning of the school year is staring me right in the face.